Climate change, characterized by rising temperatures and increasing climatic variability, poses a threat to livestock production, particularly in Kenya’s dryland agroecological zones. Smallholder dairy goat farmers face increasing challenges from heat stress, declining forage availability, and compromised animal welfare, which can reduce productivity, household livelihoods, and food security. There is an urgent need for climate-smart, scalable adaptation strategies that strengthen livestock resilience while sustaining productivity and animal welfare. 

This project seeks to establish and demonstrate a climate-smart agro-silvopastoral system that integrates fodder trees and shrubs into existing mixed crop-livestock farming systems. This will improve goat nutrition through increased availability and quality of forage, enhance animal comfort through shade provision, and improve microclimatic conditions in the dryland agroecological zones IV and V of Tharaka-Nithi County. A 12-month comparative longitudinal study will be conducted in Tharaka Subcounty involving 40 purposively selected smallholder dairy goat demonstration farms categorized as agro-silvopastoral adopters and non-adopters. Indicators of animal performance, animal welfare, and environmental conditions will be assessed and compared between the study groups over the study period. 

The project will generate context-specific evidence on the effectiveness of agro-silvopastoral systems in reducing heat stress, improving forage availability, enhancing dairy goat productivity and welfare under changing climatic conditions. Demonstration of the system will provide farmers and extension practitioners with practical evidence of viable climate adaptation measures that can be integrated into existing farming systems. The findings will strengthen extension services, and guide investment decisions aimed at promoting sustainable, productive, and climate-resilient dairy goat production systems in dryland areas.

For updates on this research, visit Chuka University Kenya's website.